Beautylish Hachiko Kabuki Brush Review & Photos

Hachiko Kabuki Brush

Beautylish Hachiko Kabuki Brush ($80.00) is a new, limited edition kabuki brush with a ceramic handle that is designed to “commemorate the story of Hachiko,” who was a beloved dog in Japan for his loyalty to his human. It features undyed, saikoho goat hair bristles in a kabuki-shaped form: a dense, rounded edge brush with a squat handle. The bristles measure 1.75″ in length and 1.5″ in width.

The quality of the brush is top tier and is in line with saikoho goat brushes from Japanese brush brands like Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo (who the OEM here wasn’t disclosed). The bundling of the bristles was excellent, as they lined up beautifully with nary a stray bristle out of place and very minimal shedding upon first use (and no additional shedding from subsequent uses, including after cleaning). They were densely-packed but smooth at the edge and still had enough movement to work for buffing motions. The bristles were soft and as soft as I’d expect for the bristle hair type but have the texture necessary to blend out products.

I haven’t used a kabuki brush as part of my regular rotation in quite sometime; I used to love them for applying foundation but have moved to synthetic brushes that can take more “abuse” and frequent washings with harsher cleansers (like alcohol-based cleansers, if necessary!). In the past, I have also used kabuki brushes to help soften and diffuse more stubborn products or to meld a look together at the end.

Per Beautylish, the brush is “a collectible and is recommended for use with powders only.” Based on this, I’d recommend using this with setting powders, finishing powders, and for general, all-over blending at the end (once your products are set with a loose or pressed powder!). I tested it out to apply setting powder (loose), finishing powder (pressed), and to help soften and diffuse blush/highlighter edges for a seamless look allover, and it functioned well for those purposes and in line with how I’d expect a good kabuki-style brush to perform.

It’s currently sold out, but Beautylish listed as “returning soon,” so stay tuned for a restock date!